madrid open tennis updates

Belgium’s Alexander Blockx continued his breakthrough run at the Madrid Open on Thursday, upsetting defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.

Blockx had never won an ATP Tour-level match on clay before this month but has thrived in Madrid, having earlier knocked out third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the last four.

The 21-year-old wrapped up the victory in 96 minutes to become the fourth-lowest-ranked player to reach the semifinals in the tournament’s history.

The World No. 69 showed few signs of nerves as he dismantled Ruud with aggressive baseline play and solid serving.

ALSO READ | Madrid Open: Fils ready for Sinner clash ahead of Roland Garros

“I’m proud of how I’ve played these past couple of matches. I think the conditions suit me well here,” Blockx said in his on-court interview.

“I feel like it’s clay which is slow, so I have time to settle and hit my shots, go for my shots.

“At the same time, it’s quite fast with the altitude and the heat sometimes. I think it’s the perfect combination for me.”

Published on Apr 30, 2026

#Blockx #upsets #Ruud #enter #Masters #semifinal #career #Madrid #Open">

Blockx upsets Ruud to enter first Masters 1000 semifinal of his career at Madrid Open Belgium’s Alexander Blockx continued his breakthrough run at the Madrid Open on Thursday, upsetting defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.Blockx had never won an ATP Tour-level match on clay before this month but has thrived in Madrid, having earlier knocked out third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the last four.The 21-year-old wrapped up the victory in 96 minutes to become the fourth-lowest-ranked player to reach the semifinals in the tournament’s history.The World No. 69 showed few signs of nerves as he dismantled Ruud with aggressive baseline play and solid serving.ALSO READ | Madrid Open: Fils ready for Sinner clash ahead of Roland Garros“I’m proud of how I’ve played these past couple of matches. I think the conditions suit me well here,” Blockx said in his on-court interview.“I feel like it’s clay which is slow, so I have time to settle and hit my shots, go for my shots.“At the same time, it’s quite fast with the altitude and the heat sometimes. I think it’s the perfect combination for me.”Published on Apr 30, 2026 #Blockx #upsets #Ruud #enter #Masters #semifinal #career #Madrid #Open

April 30, 2026

Sports news

Belgium’s Alexander Blockx continued his breakthrough run at the Madrid Open on Thursday, upsetting defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.
Blockx had never won an ATP Tour-level match on clay before this month but has thrived in Madrid, having earlier knocked out third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the last four.
The 21-year-old wrapped up the victory in 96 minutes to become the fourth-lowest-ranked player to reach the semifinals in the tournament’s history.
The World No. 69 showed few signs of nerves as he dismantled Ruud with aggressive baseline play and solid serving.
ALSO READ | Madrid Open: Fils ready for Sinner clash ahead of Roland Garros
“I’m proud of how I’ve played these past couple of matches. I think the conditions suit me well here,” Blockx said in his on-court interview.
“I feel like it’s clay which is slow, so I have time to settle and hit my shots, go for my shots.
“At the same time, it’s quite fast with the altitude and the heat sometimes. I think it’s the perfect combination for me.”
Published on Apr 30, 2026

#Blockx #upsets #Ruud #enter #Masters #semifinal #career #Madrid #Open">Blockx upsets Ruud to enter first Masters 1000 semifinal of his career at Madrid Open

Blockx had never won an ATP Tour-level match on clay before this month but has thrived in Madrid, having earlier knocked out third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the last four.

The 21-year-old wrapped up the victory in 96 minutes to become the fourth-lowest-ranked player to reach the semifinals in the tournament’s history.

The World No. 69 showed few signs of nerves as he dismantled Ruud with aggressive baseline play and solid serving.

ALSO READ | Madrid Open: Fils ready for Sinner clash ahead of Roland Garros

“I’m proud of how I’ve played these past couple of matches. I think the conditions suit me well here,” Blockx said in his on-court interview.

“I feel like it’s clay which is slow, so I have time to settle and hit my shots, go for my shots.

“At the same time, it’s quite fast with the altitude and the heat sometimes. I think it’s the perfect combination for me.”

Published on Apr 30, 2026

#Blockx #upsets #Ruud #enter #Masters #semifinal #career #Madrid #Open

Belgium’s Alexander Blockx continued his breakthrough run at the Madrid Open on Thursday, upsetting defending…

Iga Swiatek was forced to retire from her Madrid Open clash with Ann Li on Saturday due to illness, sending the American 31st seed into the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament.

A champion in the Spanish capital in 2024, Swiatek rebounded from a set down to level the contest but ended her campaign while trailing 0-3 in the decider.

The Polish six-time Grand Slam champion appeared to be struggling and asked for the doctor after being broken early in the third set.

Following a conversation with the trainers, Swiatek tried to break Li back but, when her opponent held for a 3-0 lead, the fourth seed realised she was unable to continue.

It is Swiatek’s earliest exit in five appearances in Madrid.

Earlier in the day, 15th seed Iva Jovic squandered a lead and fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Canada’s 24th seed Leylah Fernandez, who will face Li in the last 16.

ALSO READ: Fernandes hopes Portugal wins FIFA World Cup to crown Ronaldo’s international career

Ninth seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia overcame an inspired Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-2 in a match that was much closer than the scoreline suggested.

The Hungarian qualifier, ranked 117 in the world, broke early in both sets but was unable to maintain her advantage as Andreeva recovered to improve her clay-court record this season to 9-1 and set up a last-16 meeting with another Hungarian, Anna Bondar.

In ATP action, defending champion Casper Ruud raced into the third round with a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of home favourite Jaume Munar in just 65 minutes.

The 12th seed leads the ATP Tour in clay-court wins (133) and titles (12) since the start of the 2020 season and is bidding to become the third man to defend the Madrid crown after Rafael Nadal (2013-14) and Carlos Alcaraz (2022-23).

Second-seeded Alexander Zverev recovered from a “terrible” second set to begin his campaign with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 performance against recent Bucharest champion Mariano Navone.

Published on Apr 25, 2026

#Ailing #Swiatek #retires #Madrid #Open">

Ailing Swiatek retires in third round of Madrid Open Iga Swiatek was forced to retire from her Madrid Open clash with Ann Li on Saturday due to illness, sending the American 31st seed into the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament.A champion in the Spanish capital in 2024, Swiatek rebounded from a set down to level the contest but ended her campaign while trailing 0-3 in the decider.The Polish six-time Grand Slam champion appeared to be struggling and asked for the doctor after being broken early in the third set.Following a conversation with the trainers, Swiatek tried to break Li back but, when her opponent held for a 3-0 lead, the fourth seed realised she was unable to continue.It is Swiatek’s earliest exit in five appearances in Madrid.Earlier in the day, 15th seed Iva Jovic squandered a lead and fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Canada’s 24th seed Leylah Fernandez, who will face Li in the last 16.ALSO READ: Fernandes hopes Portugal wins FIFA World Cup to crown Ronaldo’s international careerNinth seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia overcame an inspired Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-2 in a match that was much closer than the scoreline suggested.The Hungarian qualifier, ranked 117 in the world, broke early in both sets but was unable to maintain her advantage as Andreeva recovered to improve her clay-court record this season to 9-1 and set up a last-16 meeting with another Hungarian, Anna Bondar.In ATP action, defending champion Casper Ruud raced into the third round with a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of home favourite Jaume Munar in just 65 minutes.The 12th seed leads the ATP Tour in clay-court wins (133) and titles (12) since the start of the 2020 season and is bidding to become the third man to defend the Madrid crown after Rafael Nadal (2013-14) and Carlos Alcaraz (2022-23).Second-seeded Alexander Zverev recovered from a “terrible” second set to begin his campaign with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 performance against recent Bucharest champion Mariano Navone.Published on Apr 25, 2026 #Ailing #Swiatek #retires #Madrid #Open

April 25, 2026